Alive Or Just Breathing
by UnwieldyInk
Summary: "There is no guarantee you will be able to bring your loved one back," the man said. "There is not even a guarantee that you will come back alive. Once we let you loose in there, you're on your own."
1. Chapter 1

Will smoothed his shirt down, anxiously peering at the towering building before him. It looked like just another office building in the heart of New York City, with straight-and-narrow looking adults passing solemnly through the revolving door. But Will knew better. He'd traveled halfway across the country to get to this place.

He took a deep breath, and pushed in. Inside was a typical office lobby, with high heels clicking and elevators dinging, but he saw some other people dressed in casual clothes, like him: they were hunched over and nervous, with dark circles pooling under their eyes. He recognized the look in their eyes as the same one that stared back at him from the mirror every morning.

All of the people who looked like Will were going into one door on the side of the lobby. He followed. As soon as they passed through the door, the whole atmosphere was different. It was more like a doctor's waiting room, now, with people of all ages dumped in chairs and leaning against walls. Will saw an elderly woman smiling at a teenage boy, making polite conversation. Will wandered up to the desk, unsure of himself.

"Hello, and welcome to Casualty Incorporated," the person sitting at the desk said, bored. "The only office in the world in charge of bringing loved ones back from the dead. I assume that's why you're here?"

"Yes…" Will's voice sounded hoarse. "My mother."

"Great." The desk person didn't sound interested at all. "Now, you understand and agree to the terms and conditions, i.e. Casualty Incorporated is not liable for any injuries or new fatalities which occur during the revitalization process, and you alone are responsible for finding and escaping with your loved one once we provide an entrance. In addition, you are also responsible for the rehabilitation of your loved one to the world of the living, blah, blah, blah… sign here, please." She pushed a paper on a clipboard over to Will.

Will scanned the paper; it mostly seemed identical to what the desk woman had said. Will uncapped the pen, but hesitated.

"Uh, I have some questions?"

"Yeah, yeah, go ahead."

"Um, I couldn't find much information about this place online. How does this, uh… work?"

The woman tapped her nails against the desk. "Well, basically, we drop you into the land of the dead- until someone goes and names it, that's the placeholder name we're using. Usually, you have some trials to go through down there, given to you by one of the… well, they don't have names either, so we call them the lords. They're kind of in charge? Anyways, they give you tasks and stuff, and you either go do them and get your loved one back, or you die trying. Very Greek myth inspired. Casualty Incorporated is not involved in any of that, of course, we just drop you there and then you're on your own. We're simply a transportation service."

"The lords… what are they?" Will asked. "I mean, are they ghosts, or demons, or…?"

The desk woman shrugged. "Dunno," she said. "I've never been down there. I think they're supposed to be dead, but I heard a story about a living lord once. They called him the king. But that's all just gossip." She started arranging her papers. "Hey, maybe if you meet one, you can ask."

"Yeah…" Will looked back down at the paper, deep in thought. It sounded really dangerous, and probably was just going to get him killed, too. But on the other hand, his mother…

Will signed the contract.

"Excellent." The woman held out a hand for Will's credit card, quickly scanned it, then handed it back. "And you're all set! You can go sit over there-" she gestured to a corner, where a woman looking to be in her mid twenties and a middle aged man were trying not to look at each other. "-and we'll call you in soon. Hope you're ready."

Will made his way over to the corner, taking a seat and joining the other two in the don't-make-eye-contact game.

He sat, twiddling his thumbs, for what felt like hours. But every time he checked the clock, only minutes had gone by. Eventually, a gaunt looking man opened a door and gestured to them with bony fingers. The other two started going to him, so Will did, too.

They were sat in rows of chairs in a small, dark room. The man had picked certain people to bring, but the reasoning behind it, Will didn't know. It all looked random. Will couldn't imagine what everyone that had been picked had in common.

He turned his attention to the room, instead. It was dimly lit, with only a few scarce lamps. There was only one window Will could see, and it was covered with drapes so thick that sunlight would never get through. There were worn out books stacked on the shelves and cobwebs in every corner. It reminded Will of the precursor room for The Tower Of Terror at Disney World. Did they think this was some sort of game?

The only thing that broke the illusion was the chairs that they sat on. They were everyday folding chairs, like the ones used in a school lunchroom for a parent concert. They creaked annoyingly whenever anyone moved, and Will's had an uneven leg, so it shook and pitched every time Will shifted even slightly.

Will leaned over to a girl next to him, who looked around his age and had green hair. "Does it feel like we're about to go on an amusement park ride to you?" he whispered. The girl laughed.

"Yeah, it's like an introduction to a haunted house or something."

They shared a tense smile, and Will sat back in his seat. The gaunt man who had called them in here stood at the front of the room. He cleared his throat primly, calling attention.

"Now," he began in a raspy voice. "Surely you all know that this is not something to be taken lightly. Despite our copious theme-" he glanced at the halloween-store decorations. "-Casualty Incorporated requires that I stress to you the gravity of the procedure. There is no guarantee you will be able to bring your loved one back. There is not even a guarantee that you will come back alive. Once we let you loose in there, you're on your own." He paused for a moment, letting silence fill the room. "And remember," he continued. "This is the land of the dead. Of ghosts and vengeful spirits. They may try to approach you, befriend you, or even trick you. You must be careful."

With that, he walked over and swung open a metal hatch on one of the walls. Concrete steps descended into darkness, seemingly stretching on forever.

Will took a shaky breath, and joined the herd of other people nervously edging towards the door.


	2. Chapter 2

The only thing Will knew was darkness. There was darkness, and cold concrete, and only one hand guiding him. He'd been pulled away from the others a while ago now. The gaunt man had told them all to let themselves be separated, so Will did. The hand slotted into his own was so cold it made Will's skin numb. He wondered if the person pulling him along was alive or dead.

The stone steps that he was descending seemed to stretch on forever, but eventually, the floor beneath him flattened out. In an instant, the hand slipped from Will's grasp.

"Hello?" Will whispered, but there was no response. Whoever had been leading him was gone. Will reached out and found a wall to his right, using it to guide him forward. It wasn't long until he could see light streaming in through a doorway ahead. He slipped through it.

It was surprisingly well lit, for the land of the dead. Strange greenish lamps hovered in Will's peripheral vision, but when he looked directly at them, they disappeared. Somewhere in the darkness, the concrete of the higher up tunnels had given way to pale stone, which now formed the floor beneath Will's feet. There were people milling around, some curiously poking through the crowds, others stumbling along as if they'd rather be anywhere else but here.

Will's eyes fell upon a building to his left. It looked like a New York apartment building, but squatted awkwardly as it cut off after only two stories. The front door was not a door at all, but an archway covered by a deep purple cloth. The whole thing gave Will spacial whiplash.

So, he figured it was probably a pretty good place to start.

Will edged closer to the building, but was stopped ten feet away from it by a "Hey!"

He turned. A dark haired boy was frowning at him. "You have to wait in line just like the rest of us." Will stared at the boy, before noticing the line of people leaning against one of the walls of the building. The boy was at the end of it.

"Sorry, I didn't realize," Will mumbled, taking his place behind the boy. "Um, this is a line for…?"

"To see the lord." When Will stared blankly, the boy rolled his eyes. "You know, so you can bring someone back from the dead?"

"Oh! Yes. I guess this is where I should be, then."

The boy shook his head, turning away from Will.

The wait was longer than Will had expected. There were only about five people in front of him, but they each took a while inside the building. Each person exiting the purple curtains had a different expression on their face- some looked horrified, others determined, and still others had tears clinging to the corners of their eyes. Will craned his neck every time someone went in or out, trying to see what he had gotten himself into, but he could never quite see what was inside the building.

What was Will doing here? He had no idea how to do this. What would he even say to the lord? _Hello, yes, I would like one mom please._

He had thoroughly psyched himself out by the time it was his turn to step up to the arch. The dark haired boy, having gone right before Will, cast him a glare on his way out.

Great. Wonderful. That helped calm his nerves. As Will stepped up to the arch, he couldn't help but feel he was being judged.

He took a deep breath, then pushed through the curtains quickly. When he looked up and saw the inside, Will blinked in surprise. The entire first floor, despite looking like a townhouse from the outside, was one wide room. But the only thing in the room was a man, standing up too straight and eyes boring into Will's. He nodded grimly, and Will stepped forward tentatively.

"Uh, hi," Will started. The man said nothing in response.

"You wish to revive your mother?" The man asked finally, his voice slow, as if he wasn't entirely comfortable with the language he was speaking.

"Yes. Yes, sir. How did you…?"

"Three tasks. Then you shall have the opportunity to bring her back."

Will blinked. "I- But, wait, how did you know-"

"Three tasks," the man repeated, more forcefully this time. "Do you accept?"

"...Yes."

The man nodded. "You must complete them alongside Nico Di Angelo."

"Who?"

The man stiffened slightly. "The… boy who entered here before you."

The dark haired boy? "Him?" Will asked. "But… why?"

"You dare question the authority of a lord?" The lord straightened up even more- which seemed impossible, but somehow he did it- and stared down at Will over his nose.

"Um, no! I mean, that's fine. What do I have to do?"

The lord relaxed slightly. "Your first task is to gather a vial of enchanted water from the arched river."

"Uh… and where is that, exactly?"

"Go," the Lord said, glowering down at Will.

"Yes! Yup, yep, I think I'm gonna go now." Will dashed out of the building before the lord could reach the end of his patience.

Arched river? How could a river be arched?

Will shook his head, surveying his surroundings to try and decide where he should start. Suddenly, he found himself face to face with the dark-haired boy. What had the lord said his name was again?

Nico. That was it.

"Hi," He started. "I'm Will."

Nico sighed, casting Will a look of contempt. "Looks like we have to work together, pretty boy."

Will blinked. He guessed Nico wasn't much one for small talk. +And, wait, _pretty boy?_ That was… interesting. "You don't sound too excited," Will said.

"Oh, can't you tell?" Nico mumbled sarcastically. "I'm thrilled."

Will pressed his lips together, forcing his annoyance down. He cleared his throat. "Well, you must be here for someone too, right?"

"What?"

"To- to bring them back. I'm looking for my mom."

"Oh." Nico cast his eyes downward. "Yes. My... sister."

"I'm sorry," Will said, because it was the only thing he could think of to say.

"Whatever." Nico started walking away, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "We should get moving."

Without any idea what else to do, Will followed Nico into the misty gloom of the land of the dead.


End file.
